Knee guard or brace



5 Dec. 5, 1950 R. o. s. SHOOK 2,532,955

KNEE GUARD OR BRACE FiledFeb. 15, 1946 [urn/tor Attorejs Patented Dec. 5, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 5. Claims.

My invention relates to a knee guard or brace, which as distinguished from orthopedic devices, designed for setting an injured leg or knee joint, is designed primarily to fit on the inside of the leg, at, above and below the knee to resist lateral impact and keep the knee in a straight line from the inside to the outside, without hindering the action of the knee joint and to prevent injury to the knee caused by a blow from the side without retarding the norm-a1 knee action and prevent what is commonly known as a trick knee, as well as permitting an athlete or other person bothered with a trick knee, to play football or other strenuous games, without suffering further injury or injuring other players, or being objectionable to use, under regulations or requirements in connection with the use of protective devices.

Another object of the invention is to provide a novel knee guard or brace embodying onl two plates connected by a ball bearing joint and fitting only on the inside of the leg, at, above and below the knee to resist lateral impact, and which will lie relatively flat, as well as being easy to apply and remove, and serving to keep the pressure ofi the knee when bumped at either'side, thus preventing injury or a trick knee, or sufiering reoccurrence of such trick knee and injury to the knee in general.

Another object of the invention is to provide Other objects and advantages reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

Figure 1 is an elevation of the device applied to a leg as when in use;

Figure 2 is an edge elevation thereof;

Figure 3 is a longitudinal sectional View taken on the line 33 of Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of Figure 1, and

Figure 5 is an enlarged sectional view taken on the line 5--5 of Figure 1.

Referring to the drawings in detail, in which like reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout the several views, my improved knee guard or brace is shown as comprising a pair of attaching and shielding platescomprising an upper plate ill and a lower plate H hingedly or pivotally connected to'swing in the planes of the plates by a ball joint or connection l2 consisting of a ball bearing attached to the ends of the plate in overlapping relation. These plates may be of suitable material; such as metal or plastic, and some light sheet metal ispreferably employed, such as aluminum. The upper plate Ill-is slightly wider than the lower plate II and has upwardly diverging side edges lSby which the upper plate enlarges toward its upper end [4, disposed transversely. The lower end is tapered at a greater angle as shown at E5 sothat the degree of taper is greater than the upper portion, which is also of concave or concavo-convex cross section, as indicated in connection with the lower plate I l in Figure 4 of the drawings. The lower tapered portion [5 is rounded at its lower end as indicated at E6, and the concaved upper portion merges into a flat relatively circular lower portion having a surrounding'half circular flange ll of rounded formation projecting outwardly.

The lower plate H is similarly formed, except that the lower plate is narrower and the side edges'IB converge inwardly or diverge outwardly to a lesser degree making the side edges relatively parallel and disposed substantially in line with the. upper plate, and for this purpose is offset outwardly at 9 adjacent the portion 26. The latter like the portion l5 of the plate I0 is tapered to a greater degree and provided with a semicircular or rounded edge 2! extending inwardly, likethe' edge It? and of similar convex formation, the same extending in a direction opposite to the direction of the edge l6. This produces flanges l1 extending in opposite directions at the curved edges or semi-circular portions I6 and 2! with the flat out-pressed circular portions encompassed or defined thereby.

In order to pivotally connect the plates for free swingingmovement with the leg at the knee joint, when applied to a leg in use. and only at the inside thereof, a ball bearing or other pivot connection 32 is provided consisting of opposed rings 22 and 23 having interposed ball or antifriction bearings 24 therebetween which may be held in a cage 25 and retained in connection for relative movement by a peripheral ring 25 which is fastened to one of the rings 22 and 23, preferably the inner ring 22, which is spot welded or otherwise fixed to the upper plate NJ, at a plu- 3 rality of points, as indicated at 21, while the lower plate H is fixed to the other ring 23 in a similar manner to permit the rings to turn on one another, with the outer rin 23 fastened to the plate il turning within the encircling retaining ring 25.

In order to attach the plates to the leg, the upper plate 50 is provided with opposed pairs of slots 28 aligned longitudinally adjacent the opposite edges 13 and preferably parallel thereto, to receive straps 25, which encircle the leg and are fastened by adjustable connections such as buckles 35. The plate ii is provided with similar slots and is held to the lower or calf portion of the leg with similar straps and buckles or other adjustable connections, the straps encircling th lower portion or calf of the leg. In this position, the plates will lie fiat against the portions of the leg with the pivotal connection or ball bearing opposite the knee joint, so as to permit the same to swing relatively upon swinging or movement or" the leg at the knee joint and not only protects the user from injury to the leg by reason of being bumped laterally or by impact with other players, but prevents the occurrence of a trick knee or reoccurrence thereof, or injury to other players, when used in playing strenuous sport games, such as football, basketball or otherwise. The device, of course, is preferably used where the same is enclosed in the wearers outfit but may be used externally as well as internally thereof. It will keep the pressure oil the knee and a player will not be put out of play by injury or re-injury. Ihe bearing action at the knee will cause the brace to function with the motion of the leg and knee, and no screws, hinges or other interfering fastening means are employed. Inasmuch as the device is fiat, it will prevent injury to other players, and another player will be prevented from knocking a players knee out of place.

In view of the foregoing description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings it is believed that a clear understanding of the device will be quite apparent to those skilled in this vart. A more detailed description is accordingly deemed unnecessary.

It is to be understood, however, that even though there is herein shown and described a preferred embodiment of the invention the same is susceptible to certain changes fully comprehended by the spirit of the invention as herein described and the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A device for laterally bracing a limb joint comprising plates having adjacent end portions in pivoted overlapping engagement, said plates having laterally enlarged portions curved to fit the inside of limb members adjacent the limb joint, said enlarged portions being in longitudinal alignment with each other, one of said adjacent end portions being laterally offset from the longitudinal axis of its plate, and means disposed wholly between said overlapping adjacent end portions for pivotally securing said plates to each other for movement about an axis transverse the plane of said overlapping end portions.

2. A device for laterally bracing a limb joint comprising plates having adjacent end portions in overlapping engagement, bearing races secured to the inner surfaces of said overlapping end portions, anti-friction bearing elements disposed between said races, means disposed wholly between the overlapping end portions of said plates rotatably securing said bearing races to each other, and means carried by said plates for securing said plates to a limb member adjacent the limb joint.

3. The combination of claim 2 wherein said first mentioned means includes a rim having inwardly extending bearing race engaging flanges.

4. A device for laterally bracing a limb joint comprising plates having adjacent end portions in overlapping engagement, one of said adjacent end portions being laterally offset from the longitudinal axis of its plate, means disposed wholly between the overlapping end portions of said plates for pivotall securing said plates to each other for relative movement about an axis transverse the plane cf the overlapping end portions of said plates, and means carried by said plates for securing said plates to a, limb member adjacent the limb joint.

5. A device for laterally bracing a limb joint comprising plates having, adjacent end portions thereof in overlapping engagement one of said adjacent end portions being laterally offset from the longitudinal axis of its plate, bearing races secured to the inner surfaces of said overlapping end portions, antifriction bearing elements disposed between said races, means disposed wholly between said overlapping end portions rotatably securing said bearing races to each other, and means carried by said plates for securing said plates to a limb member adjacent the limb joint.

ROSS O. S. SHOCK.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 821,619 Drier May 29, 1906 859,962 Messersmith July 16, 1907 901,592 Clegg Oct. 20, 1908 1,005,254 Manning Oct. 10, 1911 1,007,567 Holder Oct. 31, 1911 1,008,048 Mueller Nov. 7, 1911 1,336,695 Gromes Apr. 13, 1921 1,365,654 Bott Jan. 18, 1921 1,885,448 Jones Nov. 1, 1932 2,144,641 Snyder Jan. 24, 1939 2,195,024 Bullock Mar. 26, 1940 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 227,286 Great Britain Jan. 15, 1925 

